


Remembering Mother

by rins_rambles



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, Gen, Lucina (Fire Emblem)-centric, mother's day story, old fic i wrote on deviantart and moved to here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 10:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23469784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rins_rambles/pseuds/rins_rambles
Summary: Lucina ponders on the future that was, and what she should do in this current timeline as she asks her mother for an answer.
Relationships: Lucina & My Unit | Reflet | Robin
Kudos: 9





	Remembering Mother

She picked up her dress and ran towards the hooded figure sitting out in the sunny courtyard. The little girl practically leaped onto the person’s back with absolute glee, making the figure hunch over their book in surprise. The woman laughed and turned to face her daughter. She was wearing her tactician clothes over her nobles clothes, which easily made her distinguishable among the rest in the castle.

“Lucina, be careful, or you would have given be a broken back!”

Next thing Lucina knew, her mother had tossed her onto her lap and began to tickle her. The princess couldn’t help laughing at the relentless attack as she begged though fits of giggles and tears to stop. When the tickling ceased, Lucina snuggled as close as she could to her mother's chest and looked at the thick book she was reading.

“What’s that?” “A book I purchased on tactical strategies.” Came Robin's short reply.

“Why? Does Father need your strategies for something?”

Her mother’s eyes looked at the castle, as if she could see through the walls and find her husband talking with the Shepherd’s. Everyday since he took the throne, it's been non-stop meetings on what they should do for their next attack, or how to minimize the fighting across the lands. When Robin turned to the little girl in front of her, her eyes filled with warmth, but there were some glimmers of sorrow hidden inside.

“Yes… he does, Lucina. He’s very busy and I need to be at his side to do whatever I can as his comrade and tactician.”

Lucina knew her mother spoke the truth. She never looked down at her daughter despite her age and would not lie to her.

“Why can’t I help, mother?”

“You’re a little too young right now, Lucina. Perhaps when you’re a little older, I will let you help.”

Lucina looked down at herself a little grumpily. She was only six, that seemed old enough since she could understand the situations around herself. She felt her mother hug her chin up, as if reading her thoughts.

“My darling, it’s just that being a tactician and a fighter requires a lot of focus and energy. You’re not ready for that yet. Especially with the stress of trying to protect and keep everyone out in the battle field alive.”

Lucina thought for a moment before commenting, “Is your job is difficult for you, mother?”

She looked at her daughters face and stared at her right eye, the one that bore the mark of the “exalt”. There it would forever be engraved, a future and duty that was placed onto this little girl's shoulders. A heavy melancholic sigh escaped her lips.

“It is.”

Lucina nearly jumped out of her lap, as her eyes filled with newfound determination. 

“Then I’ll study hard so I can help you, mother! That way, you won’t have to worry so!”

A smile came across her mother’s face and she replied, “I would like that.”

Lucina looked back at the garden and saw the flowers blooming all around. Her mother followed her gaze.

“What is it, Lucina?”

“I wonder if I’m really going to be a princess everyone will be proud of. A princess who people would want to follow… Father is an excellent leader, but could I live up to that expectation?”

Her mother motioned for her to move off her lap and Lucina obliged. She watched as her mother knelt over some nearby flowers and plucking them from the grass. Her hands began to move quickly and when she turned to face her daughter, she presented her with a small crown of flowers.

“You will be a wonderful princess, Lucina. You’re beautiful, valiant, and kind. As long as you have those and a good heart, anyone would be willing to follow you.” After placing the crown over Lucina’s head, she smiled and gently cupped her daughter's face. “I know you'll be amazing one day, my darling.”

Lucina felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. Not out of embarrassment, but with pride. She delicately felt the flowers over her head and turned to her mother.

“Mother… would you teach me how to make this?”

“Huh? Oh, of course, but I have to admit, what I gave you wasn’t that good. Sumia taught me how after your father practically made a flower pile instead of a crown that one time.”

The two giggled and spent the rest of their afternoon trying to make crowns and bracelets for each other, smiling under the sun.

* * *

Lucina walked through the fields, letting the wind brush her azure blue hair and watched petals of flowers fly towards the sky. She decided to make it a routine of hers to leave the camp every now and then so she could wander around the area to relax. When sword practicing wouldn’t calm her nerves and anxieties, walking usually helped.

However, she was having one of those days where knowing that she came from the distant future where all this landscape was nothing but something straight from hell, it was very hard to acknowledge and take in the natural beauty.

She was ashamed to admit it, but she still couldn’t truly accept this as her “reality”.

_Why does the sky have to be so beautiful in the past?_ She thought mournfully, feeling the weight of Falchion at her side increase slightly.

Startled, she checked the blade and realized it was just her imagination. To clear her mind she looked up towards a tree in the distance. She saw some movement, which made her freeze in place. It was not an animal that much she could discern. The princess quietly treaded towards the figure, slowly taking Falchion out of its scabbard, preparing to strike. Finally, she lunged and swiped at the figure letting out a battle cry.

“ _Hyaaah_!”

“AAAAAAAAH!” The figure shrieked.

Lucina stopped her sword strike, looking at the figure who seemed shocked, startled and confused.

“M-mother?”

“Lucina?” was her mother’s reply, pulling down the hood of her robe to make her face visible.

She held a tome near her chest, a precaution for any dangers she might run into when traveling alone. Lucina’s mind went blank for a moment and then she began to profusely apologize, quickly sheathing Falchion.

“Oh gods, mother I am terribly sorry! I thought you were a Risen! I’m sorry to have startled you! Did I hurt you?”

Her mother shook her head to recover quickly and answer her daughter’s question.

“ _Startled_? Forget being startled, I thought my heart stopped beating right there!”

Lucina eyed the woman as she stood up slowly after her exclamation. Her face flushed with shame and embarrassment. It must be the war getting to her head, or the reflexes she had picked up in her timeline to survive. Thoughts of Risen and armies of beasts running after her with weapons in their hands at any moment came to her mind. She shivered as if she had caught a cold.

“Well, no harm done, everyone has some off days. I was taking a break beneath this tree and I almost fell asleep." She joked as she rubbed her numb spine, "The weather today is perfect for an outdoor nap. ”

Lucina watched as her mother dusted herself off. She condoned some thing’s so easily, it was hard to stay pessimistic around her with that gentle smile she always wore. Maybe it was due to her amnesia when her father found her that made the air around her seem calming and alluring.

That smile reminded Lucina of what she saw as a child. The smile that let her feel like she could lay down on that warm lap, and let her tell her everything was going to be alright.

“Mother I…” Lucina paused as she addressed the woman in front of her.

It was still a bit strange to call a woman around her own age, mother. However, they were both getting used to it, slowly, but surely.

“Yes, Lucina?” her mother noticed her expression and became worried.

Knowing she couldn't hide her thoughts forever, the princess decided to just talk.

“I was just thinking about the future… my future.”

The tactician looked thoughtful and motioned for her daughter to continue.

“When this is all over, and we manage to defeat Grima… what will change? I took everyone onto this insane journey and what do we do when it’s over? We can’t go back to those times when you and the rest of our parents were alive like they are now. In this world where the parents whom we’ve wished, prayed and even have dared to die for to see again are right in front of us."

Lucina unconsciously crossed her arms as she tried to articulate the feelings she was trying to communicate to her mother. 

"But in this timeline, the “children”, that you know are soon to be born here. I’m not even sure if the people I see now are our parents, or that the children soon to be born are supposed to be us. It all just doesn't feel real?"

Now she couldn't even look her mother in the eye as she tried to finish before she began rambling. 

"There’s no other place for us to return to now. It’s just… I don’t know what we’ll do when this war ends. What’s left for us in that hell of a wasteland we called the “future”? Please tell me… mother.”

The stress she had felt in her heart, the fears, the sorrow, the worries, they seemed to have been lifted off of her a bit after she finished talking. She felt… almost enlightened to have someone who cared for her listen to her talk, displaying the fear she had to hide from others. Her mother thought deeply, and she waited.

Robin let out a sigh she looked at the daughter of the future. Unlike she had to leave back at the castle, who was probably a few months old by now, her daughter standing in front of her had to witness and bear the burden of things she shouldn't have had to witness.

“I’m sorry, Lucina. I cannot give you an answer, or think of one that would be satisfied with. The only thing I can think of is just trying to get through each day. To keep fighting until you can see the end of the road. When you finally get to there, I think it’s then you should begin to plan out how you would like to live and what to do. Worrying about the future is good at times, but others, it’s best to look at what’s happening in front of you and start there.”

The princess nodded, acknowledging this answer. She knew some things couldn’t be answered no matter how long you pondered for the answer.

“I’m a failure as a princess…”

Her mother took something from her coat and placed it over Lucina’s head. It was a crown of flowers.

“No you’re not, Lucina. To me and your father, you’re the most wonderful and brave daughter, no matter what. It must have taken great courage to cross the paths of time to come here and try to change the future. That's not something a lot of people can say. So please, don’t beat yourself up like that.”

Robin stepped forward and gently caressed her daugther's face while giving her a gentle smile.

“I know I won’t be able to spend a lot of time with you as a child, so I’m cherishing all I can with you in the present.” 

Lucina felt her heart warm at that and she watched her mother stretch her arms out into the air. 

"Let’s go back to camp, Lucina. I think I have all those herbs Stahl asked for.”

Her mother walked past, but she remained frozen. She slowly reach up to feel the flowers placed upon her hair. A small smile spread on her face and her eyes were a little misty.

“Thank you… mother.”

“Lucina?” The tactician called, turning towards her daughter behind her. "Come on, I think Donny's cooking supper tonight!"

“I’m coming, mother!” Lucina replied, walking briskly after her.

She hoped those flowers wouldn't fall of her head as she secretly cherished the memory she held of her mother when she was just a little girl.

**Author's Note:**

> Gonna be putting some old fics onto my ao3 now.


End file.
